Having researched diet and exercise programs (for the Mac) pretty thoroughly over the past year
or so and tried two or three of them – I knew which criteria were important for me: flexibility,
comprehen­siveness, robustness and a good support record...

by Marksealy

Great App. Extensive Database. Nice Online Service.

I lost 65 pounds using electronic diet logs over the past year and have been searching for a similar,
powerful, robust application for the iPhone. I've found it!

15 July 2014 Weight Gain during Menopause

Menopause comes with all sorts of trials and tribulations and many women complain of weight gain. A Canadian research team published an interesting article on how energy expenditure (calories burned) changed over the course of 5 years for 102 premenopausal women. The team measured their body composition, physical activity, resting energy expenditure, and thermogenesis every year. Over 5 years, there was a significant drop in their total calories burned. When components of energy expenditure were examined (resting metabolic rate, thermogenesis, and physical activity), it was discovered that the drop in total calories burned was due mostly to a drop in their moderate intensity activity along with an increase in sedentary activity.

Why is this good news? Because we can do something about activity - we can choose to move more and sit less.

Of course there are changes during menopause that can cause fatigue and make us less inclined to exercise: hot flashes, poor sleep, change in sexual drive, caring for both teens and elderly parents, etc. But weight gain doesn't have to be one more blow we are “forced” to deal with - we can prevent it with just a little bit of planning and scheduling.

Tip: moderate intensity activities allow you to talk but you would have difficulty singing. They burn anywhere between 3.5 - 7 kcal/minute. Here's another list with more examples of moderate intensity activities.

Avoiding a drop in total energy expenditure during menopause is important since it helps prevent the creation of a calories surplus. Creeping weight gain over time can easily occur if there is a small but consistent drop in total calories burned over time (if one continues to consume the same number of calories). Using a calories tracker is a great way to control both calories consumed and calories burned.